Shinjitsu no Koi
by LightRayPearlshipper
Summary: It was done. The beans were spilled. The cat was out of the bag. The milk was on the table. Their secret was out. Chitoge Kirisaki and Raku Ichijo were not really dating. And the worst thing: the parties knew. War was upon the city. Now having to manage a newfound relationship with Onodera while also calming the drama at school regarding the carefully spun... Full summary inside!


**Hello, everyone. As I began rewatching the Nisekoi anime, I came across the episode that all members of Team Onodera should love and hate - episode 6. To brush up on it in case you've forgotten, it was the almost-confession by Onodera which was interrupted by the idiot baseball players who sent one through the window. But of course, as a member of Team Onodera, I can't help but ponder the what-if of the situation. What if she finished her sentence before the ball broke the window and the scene? Here's the fully extended summary of my intended work:**

**It was done. The beans were spilled. The cat escaped from the bag. The milk was on the table. Their secret was out. Chitoge Kirisaki and Raku Ichijo were not really dating. And the worst thing: the parties knew. War was upon the city. Now having to manage a newfound relationship with Onodera while also calming the drama at school with the carefully spun web of lies he and Kirisaki constructed, nowhere was safe. Everywhere he went, someone would be spying for their faction to plot an assassination. However, in all this darkness lies one more horrible secret. Is his relationship with Onodera as black and white as they seem to think? And who is the girl who really gave him the locket?**

**Please read slowly for full effect. When this chapter is read slowly, one can truly feel the drama built up here.**

**And so, it is with great passion and sadness that I write these words. However, it is also with great hope that when I master the language of Japanese and its written forms, Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji, that I may translate this piece, currently in the language of English, to its optimal form. However, I shall use proper honorifics and follow the cultural customs to the best of my abilities.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "Nisekoi" the anime, "Nisekoi" the manga, or any affiliates of the aforementioned. I do not lay any claim over the aforementioned franchises and/or productions in writing this work.**

**SPECIAL DISCLAIMER: The parts at the beginning of this chapter are used from the Nisekoi anime. By interpreting them into a written form, I am in no way attempting to pass this off as my own work. The only work that is mine from that part is the interpretation. The scene and concept belongs to the creators of Nisekoi and their affiliates. **

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><p>Edit log:<p>

September 17, 2014 - minor edits to wording, addition of scene with Ruri and Onodera, changing of subordinate's gender to male

October 12, 2014

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><p>As Raku Ichijo casually strolled down his school's hallway, the sun getting lower and lower in the background, he propped his head up against his hands, pondering the events prior to his current situation. Kirasaki-san had been acting very strange. Especially with her rather odd way of seemingly thanking him back by the animal cages, her behavior was definitely off.<p>

"Oh well. It's not something I'll ever understand. After all, women will be women," he said. _Then again, I suppose one day I'll understand Onodera. That is, after we get married._ He continued to stroll down the hall towards his classroom now with a silly grin on his face, allowing his mind to explore the fantasies it desired and playing with the pendant on his neck.

Raku Ichijo, age 15 and son of a Yakuza boss. The members of the Yakuza loved him and dotingly referred to him as "Bocchan." He was a student in class 1-C of his town's high school. Recently, his life had been turned upside down thanks to the arrival of an enemy gang. Along with the gang came the boss and his daughter, also 15 and a member of class 1-C at the same high school. Surprisingly, the boss of the new gang was an old friend of his dad. To calm the anger between the two factions, the bosses forced their kids to act like an item and it destroyed him.

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><p>Inside classroom 1-C, Ruri Miyamoto waited as her friend Kosaki Onodera packed up the last of her belongings. She left them in her desk to pick up after the committee meeting. It was then that a question popped into mind.<p>

"Hey Kosaki-chan," Ruri started. "What's it that you like about Ichijo-kun so much?"

Onodera looked up in slight surprise from her collecting. "Huh?"

"I've been watching for two years and I still have no clue," Ruru explained. "I mean, I do know that he's not a bad guy, but..." Her sentence trailed off, unable to find the correct words to use.

After a short moment of silence and thinking, Onodera began, "Well... let's see. The way he can be so sweet, or such a good person..." A rather large blush began accumulating on Onodera's face as she gripped her cheeks to hide her embarrassment. However, as she tried harder and harder to finish her train of thought, she sighed in frustration. "I know what it is, but when I try to put it into words, it's always so hard..."

The room's front sliding door opened with a slight collision against the wall. Raku was about to enter when he spotted Ruri and Onodera. "Huh? Onodera-chan, Miyamoto-san, are you two about to leave?"

Onodera looked up in surprise for the second time within the past few minutes. "Ichijo-kun..."

It seemed like magic, but just like a speeding bullet, Ruri Miyamoto zipped out of 1-C, leaving Onodera to her own devices.

"See ya, Kosaki-chan. I have some business to take care of, so I gotta go. Bye!" Ruri's presence no longer graced the room.

With the sudden shock of her best friend leaving her with her crush gone, all she could think were stutters. Her head failed to come up with anything coherent. However, Ichijo took her out of her stupor.

"Miyamoto's off like a rocket, huh? Must be some serious business," Raku said, walking over to the other side of the room where Onodera stood.

Out of her state of shock, Onodera finally managed to compose her thoughts. _Stupid Ruri-chan! Sure, I did make up my mind on confessing my feelings, but so suddenly?!_

As if on cue, Miyamoto crept her head low right past the door. It seemed as if she were sending the mental message, _Don't you dare run away like a coward._ Onodera could only shiver in fear at the sheer creepiness of what just happened in combination with the current situation.

A completely clueless Raku said, "What did she just come back for now? That sure was strange."

In complete, flushing fear, Onodera retreated to the depths of her mind to ponder the situation._ I'm alone in a room standing next to my crush. It's a romantic late afternoon golden sun. There's just so much pressure! What do I do? I thought I wouldn't have to confess until later. I can't act normally. My heart's about to burst! Oh sorry. I just can't blurt it out today after all, Ruri-chan._

Completely oblivious to her internal monologue, all Raku could see was Onodera's increasingly reddening face. Fearing the worst, he said, "Onodera-chan. Your face... your face. It's pretty red, you know?"

"Eh?"

"What's the matter? Your face is bright red!" Caught up in a sudden fervor he could only press his forehead to Onodera's as he asked, "Do you have a cold? Are you alright?" However, his actions only seemed to cause her face to heat up and redden more. In complete surprise, Raku jolted his forehead back, gripping it tightly to bear with the searing heat. "You're totally burning up! What's wrong?! What should we do? Should I walk you home? Should we go to the hospital? No, maybe I should just call for an ambulance."

Flustered by the extremely close physical contact and his apparent stress, Onodera said the only thing that she could come up with. "Calm down, Ichijo-kun!" His reaction was instant.

"How can I possibly calm down? You're forehead's so hot, it must be at least forty degrees! If that's the case, we can't waste any time!"

As he fretted over his wallet to look for some Japanese notes, Onodera simply smiled and passed a "mental message" to Ruri. _Ruri-chan. This is what I like about him. He's always so caring and a wonderful person._

"Alright, wait here a minute. I'll go buy some cold medicine," Raku said, now gripping some bills.

"Wait! Come back Ichijo!" In a desperation move, she lunged for Raku's wrist as he tried to run off. Just barely, she managed to latch on and pull him back in before he gained too much momentum. However, the result was rather compromising. Unknowingly, she had just set herself in the worst and best possible situation. Worst for her current state of mind but best for her objective. Her other hand reached for him, latching on. And suddenly, time froze.

A streak of red crossed both their faces during this period lacking a fourth dimension. The roomed seemed to shine yet darken at the same time, as if it were isolated from the real world. The windows whited out and streaks of light seemed to be emerging from them. And time resumed.

A single word was spoken.

"Onodera-chan?"

A single phrase crossed the girl's mind.

_I can do it now._

The brunette's lips quivered slightly as she tried to form a word. After a second, her beloved's name escaped her mouth. "Ichijo-kun, I... the truth is..."

She seemed to look down at the floor for a moment, losing her courage. However, it immediately came back as she successfully tried to continue. "I've never been able to say it before, but..."

Ichijo's eyes widened slightly as somewhere in his mind, his sixth sense kicked in, telling him that something major was about to happen. His grip on his money loosened and a sum of Yen now rested on the floor.

"All this time... Ichijo-kun, I've been..."

Onodera gripped her uniform's skirt tightly as she tensed, almost giving out to her impatience and fear. Her eyelids lowered slightly as memories flashed through her head. Recent memories of Ichijo teaching her how to swim, of their coincidental meeting in the park, and everything even remotely romantic that happened between them since they met. And then more memories, much older than these, seemingly from ten years ago. Memories of her and two other girls playing some game with him, memories of him comforting her and memories of him comforting the other two as she watched.

One more word escaped Raku's lips. "Onodera-chan..."

Her lips quivered once more as she tried to formulate the last part of her ultimate statement.

"In... in..." Finally, Onodera broke. Her emotional defense shattered as tears escaped her ears along with the final words of her confession. Not only did she break, but so did Raku after hearing the last words.

"I've been in love with you! I love you, I love you, I love you!"

It was like she casted a magic spell. Everything clicked into place. Her strange behavior towards him every now and then. Why she looked so overcome with grief when she found him and Chitoge in such a compromising position at his house's tea shed. Why she always treated him favorably and trusted him. And why she was saying what she said right now.

_I love you... I love you... I love you..._ The words seemed to echo in his head.

Onodera jumped forward and embraced Raku. It was all she could do, to look in him for the care he always gave her. She buried her head in the crook of his neck, only able to fear the many possible ensuing events.

_No... no way... Onodera... loves me?! _His brained ceased to function. As he breathed in, Onodera's scent wafted up and into his nose. He immediately caught wind of this new drug and tried to indulge himself burying his face into it. Blood rushed to his faced as he as his control began to slip. Onodera merely felt something rubbing softly against her head and assumed it was his comforting hand.

_Could it be? He doesn't love me, right? Of course, he probably liked one of the other girls more, from back then. And now he's going to try and put me down gently._ Closing her eyes, she braced herself for the rejection that would never come. It would never come because just then, Raku exhaled sacred words. Words that would change the world as he knew it and set off a chain reaction of events leading to the fate of his life.

"I love you too, _Kosaki-chan._"

_Kosaki-chan... Kosaki-chan... Kosaki-chan..._

It was then that the real world truly disappeared around the two. It took all of Raku's willpower to restrain himself from taking some potentially rash courses of action. Instead, he slipped his arms around her slim form. No more words were necessary as the two slowly closed their eyes surrounded by thick blushes, completing the magical scene which would unfortunately be broken by a cruel twist of fate.

"No way... Ichijo-san and Onodera-san?!"

The new couple jolted straight up in fear as they heard a voice speak of their names. Slowly, very slowly, Raku turned to the source of the voice.

"Futamaru-san? What are you doing here?" Indeed, it was Futamaru-san, the man who first discovered that he and Chitoge were "going out." He stood by the open doorway, eyes wide and body tense.

Raku's classmate ignored the question, going immediately on the offensive. "What are you doing cheating on Kirisaki-san? You two-timing bastard!" The teen ran off with his books as Raku stilled wondered what exactly Futamaru was doing there.

"Uh, Raku-kun," Onodera said. She looked slightly worriedly at her lover. "He saw us. He saw us like... like _that_."

Raku turned very slowly to face her. Very slowly. "What?" It came out like a breath as the graveness of the situation now dawned upon him.

"Futamaru-san saw us like that. He's probably figured out what's going on and is gonna tell everyone that your 'cheating' on Kirisaki-san," she declared.

_Cheating... everyone... Kirisaki-san..._

_Images flashed in Raku's head, of angry Japanese Yakuza fighting against American gangsters, tearing down the whole city as he stood in the midst of battle as he watched helplessly. An unknown voice spoke behind him. "Goodbye Ichijo-kun, you bastard." Before he knew what was happening a blade slit his throat and Raku Ichijo was no more._

Raku shook his head furiously, realizing what he had to do to stop that. "Onodera, we need to stop him. Otherwise, not only will Kirisaki-san find out, but our families." He headed off towards the door to chase after Futamaru, but Onodera stopped him.

"Wait, Raku. What so big about your families learning our relationship?" Onodera said, not getting the whole picture. She slowly continued. "I mean, even though you're the son of a Yakuza boss, we can still... still love each other. Right? "

After pausing for a moment to consider his choices, Raku said, "I'll explain later. But basically, in order to stop a war, I had to fake a relationship with her." With that, he tensed his legs and dived into a full sprint after his classmate.

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><p>Raku sprinted down the hallway at full blast only able to hope that he would catch his classmate in time. Since the boom of smartphones a few years ago by some American, foreign companies had copied the concept and it seemed like everyone had one. Futamaru would surely try to get the information out as soon as possible and Raku had to stop that.<p>

He rounded the corner and caught sight of his target escaping down a flight of stairs. With no time to lose, he jumped down an entire half-floor, making sure to land properly before hitting the next floor. However, Futamaru was only getting further and further ahead.

_Since when did I get so unfit, _Raku thought as he gasped for air while flying down the halls. _Wait a minute - isn't this the way out of school?_

Indeed it was as he slowed down and came to a stop in front of the shoe lockers. However, he was too late as he saw the school doors closing and Futamaru running off into the distance.

_I... lost... It's over now, _Raku thought. _The city will be ravaged in a few days thanks to Futamaru-san. But it's all because I couldn't catch him and tell him to keep it a secret. It's all my fault!_

With a heavy sigh, he began the walk back up to 1-C where he would retrieve his belongings and return home. _I guess I need to have a serious talk with dad._

It seemed that on this day, fate had morphed his peaceful sunshine into a howling typhoon. But his bad luck would not stop here. Oh, no it wouldn't. The battle was just beginning.

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><p>Kosaki strolled down the path to her home with her best friend beside her. The silly grin plastered on her face piqued much interest although the reason for it was quite clear to Ruri. However despite this, she inquired.<p>

"So it went well?" she asked.

"Eh?" Kosaki said turning to her. "What went well?"

Ruri gave her a look that said _Really?_ "You-know-what. You're confession."

A streak of red crossed Kosaki's face definitely not for the first time that day. "What makes you think it went well?" she asked awkwardly. "Eh heh."

Ruri stopped and stared at her friend.

Kosaki stopped and stared back. Her friend's stare slowly upturned its eyebrows, becoming more of a scowl or glare.

"Okay, fine," Kosaki resigned. "We're... we're... together now."

"Took you long enough to admit that," Ruri said. "It was written all over your face. But good job. I actually thought you might chicken out.

"Eh! How could I do that? And was I really so obvious?" Ruri just sighed and started walking again leaving an annoyed and confused Kosaki behind. She stood there for a bit of time before realizing the current predicament, immediately reacting. "Wait up, Ruri-chan!"

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><p>Raku sat on his knees inside his father's office. His father sat before him in a rather large, throne-like seat as candles dimly lit the room. Paintings of great, ancient Japanese legends covered the walls. Two guards from the Yakuza stood by the doors.<p>

Raku's father nodded towards two Yakuzas and they left the room, closing the double doors behind them. The "important conversation" would begin.

"So son, what is it that you need to talk to me about?" the old man asked. "Help with school work? Friend problems again? Or maybe, you're actually starting to fall in love with the Beehive's heir?" He gave a rather sly smile at the last part, causing Raku to stiffen up.

"Actually... it is regarding Kirisaki-san..." Raku said.

The boss' eyes widened in surprise. "What?! I only meant that as a joke! You don't have to take it seriously."

"... And also regarding Kosaki Onodera."

The old man paused a moment to ponder who this Kosaki Onodera-san might be. "Hm? Is that the one with brown hair that came for your study group?" he asked.

"Yes. The thing is... well..." Raku fidgeted uncomfortably in this seat, unable to say the last words. "Well..."

"What is it, son? Come on, spit it out."

He gulped down his fear for a moment before it returned. Turning his head down in shame, he said quietly. "I can't stay in a relationship with Kirisaki."

"Huh? Don't mumble," Raku's dad said.

This time, Raku didn't hold back. The stress from thinking about the future got to him once more. "I can't stay in a relationship with Kirisaki-san because Kosaki is the one that I love!" He paused to take a few deep breaths before continuing. "And I... am the one who she loves. "

Raku's father paused to think upon the revelation. However, he merely sighed, understanding how firm his boy could be when necessary. "Raku, I hope that by doing this, you understand that you are forcing our clan, the Shuei-gami, to commit to a war which could destroy this city.

It was only now that the reality of war began to dawn on him. However, he resigned to that fate earlier today when he entered a relationship with Onodera. Now, there was no turning back.

"I do."

The room fell silent for a minute. The Yakuza Boss and Heir locked eyes with each other and inside the heir's, the boss saw many things. Determination, willingness to sacrifice, understanding, but above all, love. Under all the emotions lay a deep love for this Kosaki Onodera he spoke of. It could be heard in his voice, seen in his body language and his stare that he held so firmly against his intimidating figure of a father. And seeing this, the father accepted his son's love.

"Very well, my son. To war it is. I see you've grown up since then." The yakuza boss chuckled as he reminisced memories of his son playing so merrily in fields with three other girls. Memories from ten years ago. "I suppose it's only natural that you'd get together with Onodera. After all, it was her that you always got along with the best that summer. Ten years ago."

_Ten years ago... wait, what?! Ten years ago! That's when that girl gave me the locket! But it sounds like he's implying that there were other girls._

"We should really get to work on the war business. From now on, Ryuu will be with you at all times, even at school, acting as your bodyguard. During any dates that you might have with Onodera-san, you will be monitored by multiple members of our Yakuza."

_Could it be that Onodera's key is the one which unlocks my locket?_

"I will be creating a Task Force composed of our best Yakuza agents to perform missions pertaining specifically to you. You shall also have a personal bodyguard trained eventually so that Ryuu may go perform other tasks."

_But if she is the one from ten years ago, then who are the others he's implying? Was there more than one girl back then? If so, who did I really get the locket from?_

"Raku, my boy. Starting tomorrow, we are officially at war with the Beehive gang. Prepare yourself..."

_All I know is that my life has been turned upside down._

"...For a great storm approaches."

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><p><strong>You do not know how much I enjoyed writing this chapter. To finally get the actual, hard confession between Raku and Onodera... *sigh*<strong>

**However, this will definitely be a hard story to write. One filled with drama, excitement, fighting, and of course, romance. In Japanese Katakana, ****ロマンス****. I'm certainly looking forward to this, even though I finished it before I finished chapter 1 of School Days or my original light novel. It's hard to be an inspired write because you always have so many ideas running through your head without enough time to get them all down. However, I practically binge-wrote and binge-edited this. I stayed up late last night working on it and I've been writing since morning. I'm gonna continue watching and writing now that I'm done.**

**Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review! Reviews, especially ones with good constructive criticism, really help. However, if you have any plot suggestions, I will ignore them. Also, please log in to review. It really helps when I can reply via PM and it's nice when I can just click the link in the email to reply to the review. What I'm looking for in reviews is ways that I can improve the overall quality of my writing, including removal of repetition, improved character development, proper placement of drama, etc.**

**Thank you for reading chapter 1 of Shinjitsu no Koi, or ****真実の恋****. May whoever your holy deity is be forever in your favor and bring you great fortune in your quests for true love as well.**

**The epilogue to this chapter is next. I'll see you next time.**

**-Michael out**

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><p>Claude looked at his phone once more and reviewed the new information on Headbook with a smirk. He enlarged the most recent post and chuckled as he scrolled over a few words multiple times.<p>

"Cheating..." he said to himself. "Cheating, cheating, cheating... I always knew you were fooling our Young Miss. You dirty bastard. But don't worry, you'll rest in hell soon enough."

A door opened behind him and someone stepped in. The new person had features of a typical pretty-boy which were extremely misleading given his job. "Sir, you were looking for me?" he said saluting.

"Ah, yes. Although you were not my own, I raised you like you were. You were trained to serve and protect our Young Miss and did so dutifully for your entire life," Claude said. "Now we face what could be the greatest trial yet." He pulled out a small photograph. On it was the face of Raku Ichijo crossed out by a red X. "Raku Ichijo, age 15. Student in class 1-C of the local High School. And, you're next assassination target." Claude passed the photo to his subordinate.

"He has fooled Young Miss into thinking that she loves him when he only uses her for his own selfish purposes which are most likely of lust. He was recently discovered by a classmate to be cheating on Young Miss. He is the evil of all evils."

The subordinate took in the briefing information, making sure not to forget a single detail. Tightening one fist, he said, "Claude-sama, can you please put this photo on the wall for a moment."

Claude complied and posted Raku's photo on the bulletin board of other targets that his "child" had taken out in the past. In one swift movement, the subordinate pulled out a gun from his coat pocket's holster, took aim, and fired three quick shots. The barrel smoked as three holes now censored Raku's forehead and eyes.

"Such animals must be destroyed, especially if they dare to advance upon Young Miss. It shall be done."

The subordinate left the dark room and Claude began to chuckle once more. The noise grew louder and louder until it grew into an all-out roar of sadistic laughter. This terrifying sound echoed throughout the night and nobody in the town slept peacefully.


End file.
